Jaguars: The CJ Henderson trade shows cracks in rebuild, 2 takeaways

2. The CJ Henderson trade reflects poorly on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ok, so focus on the player the Jaguars acquired in exchange for C.J. Henderson, Dan Arnold. In the end, it doesn’t matter if the team’s brass moved on from a former first-round pick as long as they got a difference-maker, right? That’s the thing, this move was unnecessary. The former Panther could end up giving the Jags’ offense a boost but he’s far from a First-Team All-Pro.

Since 2018, Arnold has appeared in 34 games with eight starts and has caught 58 receptions for 799 yards with seven receiving touchdowns. He isn’t suddenly going to turn the Jaguars into an offensive powerhouse, let alone a playoff contender. Also, the trade reflects poorly on the team’s brass and the moves they made to revamp the tight end room during the offseason.

Arnold was a free agent earlier this year but the Jags opted to sign Chris Manhertz instead. Also, they brought back veteran James O’Shaughnessy and drafted Luke Farrell in the fifth round of this year’s selection meeting. Before the start of the regular season, the Jags locked up Jacob Hollister.

O’Shaughnessy is currently out with an ankle injury but he led all Jaguars’ tight ends with seven catches. Hollister was inactive the first two games and made a costly mistake against the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Farrell has only hauled in two receptions for five yards. It’s clear the unit needed help but not at the expense of the cornerback group.

The Jaguars’ are trying to upgrade their tight end on the fly. Had they addressed it properly in the offseason, they wouldn’t have to be reporting to short-term fixes. Also, Henderson could still be in Jacksonville.